Temperature variations of the electron magnetic resonance (EMR) spectra and magnetization measurements are used to show that Ce3+ ions in concentration ≃18% are present in 3 nm CeO2 nanoparticles supported on silica aerogel. It is argued that the presence of Ce3+ implies the defect structure CeO2- x for ceria nanoparticles due to oxygen vacancies. This transformation of Ce4+ to Ce3+ driven by oxygen vacancies may be the key to understanding the catalytic properties of ceria.

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Eggshells of the African ostrich (Struthio camelus), ubiquitous in archeological sites in Africa, have been shown by laboratory simulation experiments to retain their indigenous organic matrix residues during diagenesis far better than any other calcified tissue yet studied. The rate of L-isoleucine epimerization to D-alloisoleucine follows reversible first-order kinetics and has been calibrated for local temperature effects and used to estimate the age range of stratified archeological sites. Age estimates are consistent with radiocarbon dates from several stratified archeological sites. With adequate calibration, this technique can provide accurate ages to within 10 to 15 percent for strata deposited within the last 200,000 years in the tropics and the last 1,000,000 years in colder regions such as China.

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